Water and air relief-valve for steam-passages.



Patented lune l0, vi902.

G. H. ATKINS.

(Application Bled July 23, X900.)

WATER AND AIR RELIEF VALVE FUR STEM PASSAGES.

(No Model.)

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r UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES HENRY ATKINS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WARREN WEBSTER,OF MERCHANTVILLE, NEW JERSEY.

WATERl A\ND AIR RELIEF-VALVE F'OR STEAM-PASSAGES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 702,353, dated June 10,1902.

Application led J'uly 23, 1900.

To all whom, it ina/y concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES HENRY Ar- KINS, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Water andAir Relief- Valves for Steam-Passages, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to valves for relieving radiators and othersteam-passages of air and the water of condensation; and it has for itsprimary object to provide an improved valve which shall automaticallyopenl when the water rises to a predetermined level to permit the waterto escape and close when the Water falls below such level to prevent thees" cape of the steam and which shall also be of` such construction asto afford the air a permanently-open exit through which the steam cannotpass.

A further object of my invention is to provide means whereby thevalve-chamber may be readily relieved of the scale, dirt, and otherforeign matter accumulated fromthe heating system or other steam-passageto which my improved device may be applied.

With these ends in view my invention consists in certain features ofnovelty in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts bywhich the said objects and certain other objectshereinafter appearingare attained, all as fully described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, and more particularly pointed out inthe claims. In the saiddrawings, Figure l is a vertical sectional view of my improved valve.Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a plan section taken onVthe line A A, Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a plan, partly sectioned, on the lineBB, Fig. l; and Fig. 5 is a detail perspective View of the valve-cagehereinafter'd'escribed.

My improved valve is more especially adapted for use in connection withheating systems employing vacuum-pumps or other suction or exhaustingdevices for drawing off the air and water; but, as will be understood,it may nevertheless be `employed to advantage in other systems.

l represents a valve body or chamber having any suitable inlet-iitting2, which adapts it for connection with the heating system or Serial No.24,4813. (No model.)

other steam-passage to be relieved of air and the water of condensation,and at a suitable point, preferably the bottom of this chamber l, isformed an outlet, whichhas a threaded neck adapted to be secured to anysuitable discharge-pipe, and When employed in heating systems havingexhausting devices for removing the air and Water such outlet 3 Wo uldbe connected to the suction-port of the exhauster. The upper end of thischamber l is closed by a cap 4, which is preferably threaded therein andwhich is also provided with a smaller threaded flange or nipple 5,depending into the chamber l, and upon this flange 5 is screwed avalve-cage consisting of a threaded ring 6, upon which are formed one ormore spider-arms 7, terminating at their lower ends in a member 8,having a central aperture 9, surrounded by a valve-seat lO, upon whichrests a ball-valvell. The lower end of the member Sis formed into aplug, which seats in and closes the outlet 3 under normal conditions,but which is capable of being raised out of said outlet Bby backing 0Ethe cap 4 a slight distance and without loosening the valve-cage orpermitting the escape of the contents of the chamber l past the threadedconnection therewith of the cap 4, said threaded connection being ofsufficient length to permit of this adjustment or upward move- `ment ofthe plug or member 8. The purpose of `thus making the plug orl member 8removable from the outlet 3 and aifording an unrestricted'exit from thechamber l to the pipe connected with the outlet 3 is to provide forblowing off the scale, dirt, and other foreign matter accumulating inthe chamber l from the heating system, a result of common occurrence innew systems, owing to the scale and the small fragments adhering to thesurfaces of new pipes and the dirt and other particles left in the pipesby the Workmen.

IOO

Formed on or secured to the cap 4 is a casing 12, which is preferablycylindrical and which is provided at its lower end with a shoulder 13and at its upper end with a removable cap 14. Seated upon this shoulder13 is a cylinder 15, composed of some porous 1naterial-such.as burntfire-clay, brick-clay, carbon,0r othersubstance-having small capillarypassages through which air may pass, but which are so small as to becapable of condensing steam before it can find its way therethrough. Theupper end of this cylinder 15 is impinged by the cap 14. vIn order thatthe joints between the cap 14 and the shoulder 13 may be renderedabsolutely tight, however, I prefer to interpose a gasket 16 between theshoulder 13 and lower end of the cylinder and a similar gasket 17between the upper end and the cap 14. The cylinder 15 is ofslightlylessdiameter than the casing12,and extending from the casing 12 at one ormore points between the seating ends of the cylinder 15 are one 0r moreair-vents 18, which extend downwardly through the cap 4 and communicatewith an annular groove 19, formed in the lower face of said cap, andthis annular groove in turn communicates with a duct 20, extendingdownwardly through the ring 6 and one of the spider-arms 7 and finallydischarging through the plug 8 directly into the outlet 3.

By the means described it will be seen that the inlet 3 has permanentand direct communication with the interior of the chamber l and alsowith the interior of the cylinder 15, and as a consequence the airentering the said cylinder through the inlet 2 will percolate throughthe pores of the cylinder and find its way through the air-vents 18 andthe duct 2O to the outlet 3, the passage of the air being assisted bythe suction induced by the usual eXhauster. It will also be seen that bythe described construction the valve-chamber l is provided with twooutlets, one of which-z'. e., S-is under normal conditions closed by theplug or member 8 and the other of which-4. e., 9-is automatically closedby the valve 11, and when the water of condensation which enters thechamber 1 through the inlet 3 rises therein beyond a predetermined levelthe valve 11 will automatically rise from its seat and permit such waterto escape directly into the outlet 3 through the outlet or aperture 9,the valve 11 being buoyant.

Having thus described ymy invention, what I claim as new therein, anddesire to secure by therein, and a porous steam-barrier between theinlet and the air passage-way in said cage.

2. In a relief-valve for the purposes described, the combination of avalve-body having an inlet and an outlet,'an automatic valve normallycontrolling the thoroughfare between said inlet and outlet, a removablecage within the valve-body carrying said automatic valve and providedwith an air passage-way communicating with the outlet beyond said valve,and a porous steam-barrier between the inlet and the air passage-way insaid cage.

3. In a relief-valve for the purposes described, the combination of avalve-body having an inlet and an outlet, an automatic valve normallycontrolling the thoroughfare between said inlet and outlet, a removablecage within the valve-body carrying said automatic valve and providedwith an air passage-way communicating with the outlet beyond said valve,a cap for said valve-body carrying said cage provided with an airpassage-way communicating with the air passage-way in said cage, and aporous steam-barrier carried by said cap and interposed between theinlet of the valve-body and the air passage-way in the cap.

4. In a relief-valve for the purposes described, the combination of avalve-body having an inlet and an outlet, an automatic valve normallycontrolling the thoroughfare between said inlet and outlet, a removablecage within the valve-body carrying said automatic valve and providedwith an air passage-way communicating with the outlet beyond said valve,a cap for said valve-body carrying said cage and provided with anextension, a tubular porous steam-barrier carried by said cap and havingone side in communication with the inlet, said cap being provided withan air passage-way leading from the other side of the-tubularsteam-barrier to the air passageway in the cage.

5. In a reliefvalve for the `purpose described, the combination of avalve-body having an inlet and an outlet, an automatic valve normallycontrolling the thoroughfare between said inlet and outlet, a capclosing said valve-body and carrying a casing having an air passage-waycommunicating with the outlet beyond the automatic valve, a tubularporous steam-barrier in said casing having one end seated against thecasing, a cap closing the other end of the casing and seated against theother end of the said porous barrier, said air passage-way in the casingopening to the exterior of the tubular barrier and the interior of thebarrier communicating with the inlet.

G. In a relief valve for the purpose described, the combination of avalvebodyhaving an inlet and an outlet, a cap closing said valve-bodyand having a supplemental threaded nipple, a valve-cage carried by saidnipple independently of the valve-body and having a valve passage-waycommunicating IOO IIO

ently of the valve-body andhaving a portion fitting and partiallyclosing said outlet and provided with a valve passage-Way communicatingtherewith, and an automatic valve carried by said cage and controllingsaid valve passage-Way.

CHARLES HENRY ATKIN'S.

Witnesses:

EDNA B. JoHNsoN, J No. G. ELLIOTT.

